Abandoned The Last of Us Mall - 1970's Era Westland & Eastland Mall

In todays video my friend and I explore Westland Mall and Eastland Mall.
Both developed by Richard E. Jacobs group in 1968 in Columbo Ohio, Westland Mall was part of a quartet of directionally named shopping centers in Columbus, including Northland, Eastland, and Southland. Except for Southland, Richard E. Jacobs Group constructed and initially operated all these malls, all of which had a similar mix of anchor stores. As the 20th century came to a close, Westland Mall faced significant challenges. The establishment of the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in 1997 drew away many potential customers from Westland, resulting in a marked decline in its status as a prime shopping spot on the city's far west side. Notably, JCPenney and other significant stores like Express and The Limited departed Westland for Tuttle. By 2003, the mall was bought by Kashani, a developer who attempted to repurpose it as a "bazaar"-style mall, incorporating various specialty shops. Unfortunately, by 2010, the mall was down to less than 15 active businesses.
Eastland Mall, was the first enclosed shopping mall in Columbus. Despite being a single-story mall, it's anchor stores were two-story buildings, with Sears closing its upper level sometime during the 1980s. In 2002, following the demolition of Northland Mall, Eastland became the oldest mall in the Columbus metro area. Glimcher Realty Trust purchased the property in December 2003, adding Kaufmann's as a fourth anchor and transforming the Lazarus store into Lazarus-Macy's. However, after Glimcher defaulted on the mortgage in 2012, the mall was transferred to the lender, LNR Property, via a deed of foreclosure, and it was reportedly sold for $9.25 million in 2015.
Over the years, the mall saw several anchor store closures including J.C. Penney in 2015, Macy's in 2017, and finally Sears in September 2017, leaving the mall without any anchors. Conditions at the mall deteriorated drastically in its final years, leading to numerous health and safety code violations. City Code Enforcement began issuing violations to Eastland Mall Holdings LLC for poor maintenance, structural issues, and zoning noncompliance. In June 2022, the mall was declared a public nuisance and the owners were ordered to make repairs. Failure to make satisfactory progress by September 2022 would result in the City of Columbus making repairs at the owner's expense or possibly even demolishing the property. The mall was set to close on December 31, 2022, but a water line break prompted an early closure on December 26. In March 2023, the City of Columbus began soliciting proposals for the redevelopment of the Eastland area.

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